Simple questions

Hey all, new user here. So I recently purchased an 01 Tundra Limited Edition just over a month ago. So far in terms of fixes, its been more cosmetic than anything else. However, I have noticed some things that have bothered me. First thing is the lighting on the driver side door. All the rest of the doors will cause the light bulbs to activate except for the drivers side door. However, when the left side rear door is open, the light bulb in the door will turn on. I don't know if there's a certain switch I need to activate to get it to turn on, but I found that odd.

Next thing is possibly the brake pads. I've noticed that when I'm driving above 50 mph & having to apply the brake, the whole frame silently shakes when I go from 50 to around the low 30's. The only thing I can think of is possibly to replace the brake pads. Am I correct in this idea or should I possibly look at another area?

Last question is in reference to the rear view mirror. Apparently the previous owner somehow burnt the mirror or not really sure what happened, but they had to purchase a clip on mirror to cover the original. I was able to find another one from another tundra, but the back mount is different from my current one. I was wondering if anyone knows of a possible back mount that I can use to attach the mirror? Also it is possible to even remove the current back mount from the truck? I will post a photo of the mirror in question along with the current mirror back side. I've seen a similar post where someone was wondering about possible wiring and the conversation went into Homelink or something like that. That guy's mirror is just like mine.

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Welcome!

Brake issue sounds like warped rotors. New pads and rotors would be a good choice. If you have any interest in doing the bigger 13wl calipers this would be the time to do it. Feel free to search around for that upgrade if you are interested.

I'd check the little plunger switch that is attached to the rear door that the front door contacts. It may be getting worn out. Sometimes you can fiddle with them a little bit and get them to work but you usually have to do this every time you open the door. Replacements aren't too expensive if you find that to be your issue.

The 00-02(?) Mirrors have a weird attachment method that isnt as common. Someone may have found an adaptor plate once but I never got a clear confirmation on whether it worked or not. This may be the thread you are already referencing.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/rear-view-mirror.115988/

Not sure how much inspecting you have done yet but what's the age/condition of your timing belt? Best to check your lower ball joints as well. Two big failure points other than frame rust.

 

Yep, the shaking is warped rotors. Its happened to me on every vehicle I've ever owned, and is particularly common on early tundras. Simple replace your pads and rotors.

 

Just want to this reply, and add to it.

Be sure to buy OEM rotors from a trusted source (not scAmazon, fleaBay, wallyworld), unless you want to be back in this same position again in 1-2 years. If you have a shop nearby that can turn the existing rotors, it may be another option. That said, rear drums being out-of-round can cause some weird stuff also, and there's a sticky thread here to deal with that.

I take it you already popped the door light out on the driver's side to make sure (A) the harness is connected to the blub, (B) the halogen bulb isn't burned out or (C) if someone replaced that bulb with an LED, they didn't install the LED backwards, because LED are polarized and only work one way? I agree, door plunger is the likely culprit, but sometimes small sanity checks are worthwhile. If you find the door plunger, they're normally held in with 1 screw, you may need to pop off a rubber boot to get to it, and you can bridge the pins on the rear to confirm whether the light comes on ... if so, try flushing the guts of the switch with CRC contact cleaner and working it during the process. Pin switches like that are super basic devices.

On the mirror .... why not just swap out the glass? Or is the whole housing hosed? I had to replace the heated mirror glass on my '06 Limited access cab and it was super easy.

Anyway, welcome to the forum and since you're a new 1st Gen owner, if you haven't checked the first couple replies in this thread, you may want to do that sooner than later before you invest too much time+money into things: https://www.tundras.com/threads/so-you-wanna-buy-just-bought-a-1st-gen-tundra-eh.115928/

 

Hey shifty, I honestly didn't know that the glass was able to be swapped out. Ill have to look into that. Also in terms of the rotors, I definitely don't shop at Amazon (used to work for them & am the only person in the family who refuses to give them my business), I also agree not to get certain things from eBay & definitely don't trust Walmart in terms of automotive stuff. Lastly I will look into the door plunger to see if that's causing said issue.

 

Hey Nick, thanks for the heads up on the timing belt. I'll have to take it to my local Autozone so that they can help me better understand that. My whole plan is originally to replace it at the end of the year, but if the situation is more dire, then I won't have an issue replacing it sooner. So far the brake rotors have become top priority as that's the only real big thing I'm noticing. Aside from that, the truck has been driving like a dream and also planning on adding some fuel additive in the near future to keep everything running smoothly.

 

@avoice217 the OEM instruction sheet the stealership gave me inside my replacement glass box is here: https://www.tundras.com/posts/1820473

You didn't list which cab type your truck is in your profile, just "red tundra", I think the part numbers are probably different with different cabs.

If you prefer a video - though I don't agree with Sue's way of doing the install - check this. You can absolutely replace only the glass insert, save yourself time and money, just make sure you get the right part number, which I can track down for you if you can give me more specs on your cab type:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJFMcmR5iGA​

 

Hey shifty, just a little heads up, I don't need to replace the side view mirror. Both those mirrors are just fine. It's the REAR view mirror that I'm working on replacing.

Also in terms of the brake rotors I was looking on both Rockauto.com as well as partsgeek.com. I was wondering if someone can recommend a certain brand to me as I don't know what I need to look for exactly.

Lastly I just did some research and found out that my cab style is an access cab.

 

Ah, my misunderstanding. That wasn't clear to me from your 1st post. I thought you were talking about rear view mirrors on the sides.

The mirror you're showing is a Gentex "403" model, aka "GNTX-403". It looks like it's using the Donnelly style mount.

The mount itself, what I call the "keystone" can be removed using heat, there are a number of videos on YouTube showing the process. Loctite and other companies make replacement adhesive to glue the other type of keystone up. Be sure to mark the OUTSIDE of the windshield where the center of the old one is BEFORE you remove it so you know here to glue in the replacement.

I think someone also makes an adapter to adapt the old Donnelly style mirror mounts to the more-typical style you find on every other car. @Tundra2 may have more info on that.

 

All autozone will do is try and sell you a new belt. If you can't find records of the belt being done in the last 10 years or 100k miles you need to check it out ASAP. It could turn your engine into a brick under the right circumstances (although sometimes it won't).

Make an account and add your VIN to toyota.com/owners. This should tell you if the timing belt has been done by a dealership at any point.

Otherwise there are covers on both sides of the front of the engine. Take out a few 10mm bolts to inspect the belt. Pictured below is the driver side cover (just the black plastic part).


If it were me, if I had no record of the belt change even if the belt looked fine I would get it done sooner than later. My belt looked ok but I had no record of a change and it wasn't worth the risk to me. This is a $1000-$1500 job at a dealer (unless your dealer is outrageous) independent shops can do it as well but it'd be best to find one that's done one before.

You need to inspect your lower ball joints either yourself or at a shop (not sure your skill level or tool setup). They won't necessarily show signs of failure but once they fail your wheel will stuff itself into the fender and you'll loose control. I never really checked mine, just changed for piece of mind (this is an OEM only part).

Not trying to scare you or anything just want you to be aware that if these couple things go unchecked they could cause major issues and high costs.

 

Hey all so I have been waiting patiently, but I have not seen any reply on what brand of brake rotors that I should go after. I guess it doesn't matter which ones from either Partsgeek.com or Rockauto.com that I should go after? Aside from that, I will inspect the timing belt tomorrow as well as the ball joints. I did pull up the video on 1A Auto where they talked about the ball joints being 1 of the 5 biggest concerns for Tundras.

 

If you want your brake rotors to last a real long time get the cryogenic coated ones. They cost quite a bit more but are supposed to last longer though I've never tried them myself. If not just get a reputable brand on RA. I like to get the coated ones so they don't rust although it doesn't really matter for functional reasons.

 

Hey Nick just wanted to give a quick update. So I did register the VIN on the Toyota owners website. Based on the history, very little was done at a Toyota dealership in the past; mainly just replacing the brake shoes and the rotors, but that was over 8 years ago. I'm thinking that I'm gonna have to replace both the rotors as well as the shoes (rotors will definitely be the hardest part since I have to remove the calipers that hold the shoes in them). Aside from that, I'm gonna have to grind some $ because I'm mainly worried about how much my mechanic is gonna charge to install the new timing belt. I would try it, but I'd have to wait til either the late fall or early winter to even attempt it because its just way too hot for me to attempt such a long laborious job. Thankfully my local mechanic has always been very affordable in terms of labor, so we shall see.

 

How do you record it on toyota's website? Is it like a free carfax?

 

@ClemsonTigers - go to the Toyota owners webpage. Create an account and add your VIN to your profile. You can see vehicle specification and service history. You can also add any services done yourself or by an independent garage.

 

@avoice217 - Justin, if you are handy at all and have a basic mechanics set of tools - jack, stands, metric wrenches, sockets and a torque wrench you should be able to do all these things yourself. There are great threads here and members who will help you. Also check out YouTube videos before you do any work so you can see the gotcha's. I recommend you update your vehicle to show cab type, trim level and engine.

 

More info on Toyota Owner's website in the first two replies of this thread.

 

Hey all, so I had a mechanic friend help teach me how to install my new brake rotors & the brake pads. I'm actually thankful that the set came with hardware as I learned the hard way that the wire to keep the caliper together on the left side actually broke (probably from rust caused by oxidation). I also took a photo of the difference between the old and new pads and there was a stark difference! Also apparently Toyota built in a very simple device to strap against the rotor to cause the shaking/vibration on the whole truck frame. So it actually wasn't the brake rotor that was bad, but simply the brake pads. Overall, I'm happy that I got the whole set swapped out and there's no more shaking/vibration happening due to the new brake pads. Now I'll be set on that til I graduate.

 

Really appreciate the follow-up on this. I hadn't even thought about the pad retainer clip thingy causing a problem like what you did. I can see how some could confuse it with any number of other issues, including ABS/WSS or similar. Nice find!